this is not glock buldge busting so to speak, this is brass base swaging.

Look up saami specs, that will give your answer.

I did look up the SAAMI specs, as I posted just above your response. Where else would I have gotten my numbers?

Hawkmoon wrote:When I first read this I couldn't figure out how this might help anything, since the 9x18 Makarov is not really the same "caliber" as the 9x17 (.380 ACP) and the 9x19 Luger. So I looked them up in the SAAMI data.

The largest OD for the 9mm Luger (which is at the head end, where bulge removal may be needed) is .3910".

For the 9x18 Makarov, the case OD at the mouth is .3902" and at the head it's .3915".

Hm, do you or have you ever swaged 9mm? .394 is head and it does not matter any way. Lee puts out a makorov die and it is what it is. In saami specs somewhere (not perfect) is what Lee is looking for.

Factious again, This thread was started for the pressure it takes to get the whole piece of brass thru die. Why dont you start a thread on numbers. The glock buldge is the easy part to get out. The solid brass rim goes thru the die which takes the most leverage.

Others might want to learn how to do this.

KEEP IN MIND, you can run live ammo thru Lee's kit. So, if you cart gage you could just do the ones that dont go thru cartridge gage and save time. Some people have time and enjoy doing more steps of perfection.

When all of us started reloading, we did few steps for ammo perfection.

It's not a surprise you need a lot of force to push the 9mm brass through that die. You're working against an interference fit, reducing the 9mm Luger rim diameter to less than SAAMI specs.

SAAMI case dimensions, such as in the page you reproduced, say all dimensions are -.007 unless otherwise indicated. The 9mm case head is .3910 - .007, but the rim is .3940 - .007. That means the rim should be between .3940 and .3933 to be in spec.

The Makarov case diameter is given by SAAMI as .3915 - .007 and the rim is .3920 - .007. I don't think the Lee FCD attempts to size the rim, so we can probably safely say that the largest diameter for the carbide sizing ring would be .3915 to be in spec. That's .0018 LARGER than the smallest in-spec diameter for the 9mm case rim.

So why do you want to size your brass to smaller than the minimum specified dimension? And why would anyone else want to do that?

You should probably save your breath Hawkmoon, kinda hard to provide factual information and change some folks opinions. However, that said, it never hurts to try.

Hawkmoon wrote:It's not a surprise you need a lot of force to push the 9mm brass through that die. You're working against an interference fit, reducing the 9mm Luger rim diameter to less than SAAMI specs.

SAAMI case dimensions, such as in the page you reproduced, say all dimensions are -.007 unless otherwise indicated. The 9mm case head is .3910 - .007, but the rim is .3940 - .007. That means the rim should be between .3940 and .3933 to be in spec.

The Makarov case diameter is given by SAAMI as .3915 - .007 and the rim is .3920 - .007. I don't think the Lee FCD attempts to size the rim, so we can probably safely say that the largest diameter for the carbide sizing ring would be .3915 to be in spec. That's .0018 LARGER than the smallest in-spec diameter for the 9mm case rim.

So why do you want to size your brass to smaller than the minimum specified dimension? And why would anyone else want to do that?

carload9 wrote:You may be rite. Mine are better and inbetween saami specs. A cartridge gage fit is all l need. lf its lil' small no prob, better than being to big to C.Gage.

I have no idea how you can push the brass through a die that's several thousandths smaller than the minimum in-spec diameter and have it come out mid-spec, unless you're getting a lot of brass spring-back when the brass leaves the die. That aside, if your goal is just to have your brass fit a cartridge gaug, what's wrong with a standard 9mm full-length resizing die? I don't know how many thousands of rounds of 9mm I've reloaded with just the standard Lee 4-die set, and I've never had a round not fit the cartridge gauge or fail to chamber.

I know you like to tinker, and so do I. In this case, though, it seems like you've gone to a lot of trouble to solve a problem that doesn't exist.

Hawkmoon wrote:It's not a surprise you need a lot of force to push the 9mm brass through that die. You're working against an interference fit, reducing the 9mm Luger rim diameter to less than SAAMI specs.

SAAMI case dimensions, such as in the page you reproduced, say all dimensions are -.007 unless otherwise indicated. The 9mm case head is .3910 - .007, but the rim is .3940 - .007. That means the rim should be between .3940 and .3933 to be in spec.

The Makarov case diameter is given by SAAMI as .3915 - .007 and the rim is .3920 - .007. I don't think the Lee FCD attempts to size the rim, so we can probably safely say that the largest diameter for the carbide sizing ring would be .3915 to be in spec. That's .0018 LARGER than the smallest in-spec diameter for the 9mm case rim.

So why do you want to size your brass to smaller than the minimum specified dimension? And why would anyone else want to do that?

I just spot checked though several brands of new factory 9mm ammo and they were all .387-.388 at the rim - the range brass I push through the 9mm Mak FCD come out at .387-.388 at the rim as well.

As long as new ammo and my ammo drop in and out of cartridge gage freely iam good.

Have a few finished ammo from llm that l have to re-run thru lee kit to get it to cartridge gage.

Maybe lee kit makes sizing easier.

Since l use cart gage, l took "U" die off and put regular sizer back on. Lever ease.

Below ammo is checked 4 times before boxing.

Friends of army retired almost built a ammo factory (small) here but, GD county commisioners screwed em. I could have learn some die tips from them. Defender ammo. Hope they suit city/county and win. They have a building setting they built not in use.